Revenge 3×04 – Mercy

While Revenge‘s buzz has been eclipsed by another whacky ABC drama (Scandal) over the past year, I have to commend the show for salvaging a messy sophomore year and getting me invested in the proceedings again.

The aftermath of last week’s crash was extremely well done. While Conrad tried to twist the facts behind the accident to suit his cover story, Daniel and Emily’s relationship took a turn for the worse. It’s fascinating to see Daniel continue his transformation into Conrad 2.0, and it was even cooler to witness Emily screw him over in the magazine by mentioning his DUI. There hasn’t been nearly enough drama between these two, and the show is much stronger when Daniel suspects his seemingly-perfect fiancee. Suddenly it’s seeming more and more likely that Grayson Junior will be the one pulling the trigger when the who-shot-Emily-Thorne mystery reaches its climax.

Thankfully, one of the season’s more unbelievable plot points came to an end this week, as Conrad discovered that he was misdiagnosed with Huntington’s disease. Watching him gather his disturbed family and reclaim his rightful place was suitably creepy, and I do hope he catches a whiff of Emily’s trail as he tries to uncover who messed with his meds. Is it so wrong that I kind of wanted the show to kill him off in the crash? But I guess the only way Emily can attain her ultimate vengeance is to have Conrad witness the downfall she’ll undoubtedly bring upon him.

Mercy was a brilliant showcase for Victoria. I was beyond mortified when I saw the Queen ask an art-dealer for a job, but found myself seething with joy when it was revealed that she and Patrick played the woman so she could take control of the art-house. Yes it was quite unbelievable (Victoria went from employee to employer in the span of one conversation), but the possibilities of having Miss Grayson running her own place are endless. Plus it was heartwarming to see Victoria bond with Patrick in the only way she knows how: by hatching a sinister plot. The chemistry between Madeleine Stowe and Justin Hartley has blossomed well, and I shudder to think what will happen to this woman when Patrick eventually turns on her like the rest of her deceitful spawn.

Aiden has turned into quite the wild-card this season. His final move was appropriately sneaky, as he went to the Graysons and blamed Jack for tampering with Conrad’s brakes (my money’s on Victoria). While I’m still not Jack’s biggest fan, the fact that the whole cast is now basically orbiting around the same storyline is a surefire reason to feel relieved over this season’s prospects. Remember last year’s utterly pointless Stowaway plots? Yep, we’ve come a long way.

I guess I wasn’t wrong about the hints of sexual tension between Nolan and Patrick in our last outing, although there’s obviously more than meets the eye. It definitely looks like the two are playing each other, which should create some exciting drama going forward. What did Nolan discover during his visit to Patrick’s ex-wife? It better be something over-the-top and insane; we’ve had enough variations of the typical con-man trope.

Vengeful Bits

– I honestly smirked when Conrad told Emily she was his “guardian angel”. Epic.

– Seriously, Daniel casually paying off the detective to cover up the accident was remarkably sleazy.

– Emily hopping over that fence into the junkyard was very cool. I need more Ninja Emily moments; the show would benefit from a healthy dose of action every once in a while.

– My favorite scene of the hour: Victoria blackmailing Sheila. Yes it was too easy, but I loved how she turned the tables on the woman and assumed control of her establishment with her little “endgame”.

– Charlotte had minimal screen-time this week. That’s just the way I like it.

– Aiden looked genuinely hurt when he discovered that Jack knew about Emily. This can’t be good.

– I just realized that we didn’t get any Emily voiceovers this week. Hallelujah.

Devious Delights

Nolan: No, Nolan! No technology! It’ll get you into trouble. Oh, just once. Then I can stop. I can stop anytime. And if I can’t stop, then I can write a program that will make me stop.

Conrad: You are my guardian angel, Emily. Lord knows where I’d be without you.

Victoria: (to Emily) Well thank you for coming, Emily. Feel free to leave at any time.

Victoria: (to Sheila) Go and tell everyone that this is my gallery now, right after you change this bulb.

Conclusion
Intricately plotted and thoroughly absorbing, Mercy is another terrific entry in this season’s winning streak.

6 comments

I don't think Victoria tampered with the brakes. It seems a bit obvious considering her protests to get him to NOT drive the car.

I'm happy with this season, too. I want Emily to be outed this season, though. My ideal scenario is her identity being made public at the end of the season, and a final 13 episode season 4 to finish it off.

this season is stronger then last season, last season the show tried being something it was not which made it so messy and consulted I'm glad that this season this show embraced the fact that it was a soap which made it watchable again here's to hoping the ratings will get better

Really glad you're enjoying the season two Panda! Happy you didn't give up on the show like so many people! And although I don't want a season four, your plan sounds awesome – having her finish off the final season with her identity revealed to all !